Reutlingen, Germany, June 8, (dpa/GNA) – Investigators have found evidence of a possible accelerant, following a night-time fire at a substation in the western German city of Reutlingen, that caused a widespread power cut. âThere are indications that an accelerant was used,â a spokesman for the State Criminal Police Office in Stuttgart said on Monday.
Evidence has been secured at the scene of the fire, he said. According to the interior minister of the state of Baden-WĂŒrttemberg, Manuel Hagel, the state security and anti-terrorism centre of the State Criminal Police Office in Stuttgart has taken over the investigation, and an investigation team has been set up.
A police riot squad has been deployed to Reutlingen to maintain a police presence at critical infrastructure and in areas where there is still no electricity, he said.
Hagel said that around 7,600 buildings and some 40,000 people were affected by the power cut. He said the investigation is being pursued with the utmost urgency, âprimarily due to the suspicion of arson and the disruption of public services.â
The investigation is being conducted without prejudice in all directions. âOur investigation team will leave no stone unturned, and we will bring the perpetrator to justice with the full force of the law,â Hagel asserted.
The State Criminal Police Office said it currently has no leads regarding possible suspects or motives. It is unclear when the power supply will be fully restored.
Security sources suspect arson. According to assessments from security sources, the fire may have been deliberately set. The modus operandi points to left-wing extremist perpetrators, and shows parallels with similar incidents in Berlin, dpa learned.
There are no indications of a possible mastermind abroad. Last year, a suspected far-left arson attack left thousands of households and 2,000 businesses in Berlin without electricity for days on end. A further attack on high-voltage cables in the German capital was carried out on January 3, causing the longest outage in the city’s post-war history and leaving thousands without power and heating amid subzero temperatures.
Regarding the incident in Reutlingen, Germany’s Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told public broadcaster ZDF: âWe assume that this is, in all likelihood, a case of arson.â âThe priority now is to continue investigating in all directions in order to establish the basis for this arson attack and identify the perpetrators accordingly,â Dobrindt added. Reutlingen is a city of just over 100,000 people located around 40 kilometres south of Stuttgart.
GNA